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9/30/2015 Vyana VayuVyana Vayu is the current of energy that nourishes the entire body and distributes prana the is gathered at the center of the body during inhalations and moves it outward towards the periphery of the body on the exhalations. It helps to facilitate our proprioception and balance.  Anushasana Mudra Direction Curl middle, ring, and little finger into palm, secure with thumb, extend index finger; rest back of hands on thighs Benefits: Activates Vyana Vayu How it Works: The middle (ether), ring (earth) and pinkie (water) fingers are held down in the palm by the thumb (fire) to represent the drawing inward of the inhalation, the storing of energy. The index finger (air) is extended to enhance expansion of prana throughout the body on the exhale. Practice Tips: Use to feel expansiveness of your breath  Mountain Pose Tadasana Stand with feet hips width apart (or toes together, heels slightly separated). Engage the muscles of the legs towards the bones. Draw the belly in and release the tail bone. Lift the chest and draw the shoulder blades down. Press the crown of the head towards the ceiling. Hold 10-20 breaths. Therapeutics: Grounds the body and prepares for all standing poses, improves balance  Ganesh's Pose Ganeshasana Begin standing with feet slightly wider than hips distance apart. Keeping the knees soft, begin to swing arms around the body like two elephant trunks, lightly tap the body with the hands wherever they land as you twist right and left. Go faster or slower depending on how it feels to you for about 1 minute. Then slow down the swinging until you are again standing still. Therapeutics: Increases circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body, awakens the energy and detoxifies the abdominal organs.  Goddess Pose Deviasana Stand with feet wide apart, turn toes out slightly. Exhale bend knees over ankles and raise forearms up to sides with palms facing forward. Inhale return to starting position. Repeat 5 times. Therapeutics: Strengthens the thighs and grounds the energy of the body  Warrior II Virabhadrasana II Stand with feet wide apart. Turn left foot out 90 degrees and right foot in 30 degrees. Inhale arms out from shoulders. Exhale and bend left knee. Keep torso upright and do not lean over bent leg. Gaze towards left hand. Hold 5-10 breaths then release and change sides. Therapeutics: Strengthens legs and increases balance  Standing Wide-Legged Forward Bend Prasarita Padottanasana Stand with feet wide apart. Variation I: Bend forward from hips placing hands between feet. Release spine forward with crown of head facing floor. Hold up to 1 minute, then return to standing by drawing hands onto hips and lifting entire torso up as a single unit.  Bridge Pose Setu Bandha Lay on back with knees bent and feet hips with apart. Inhale and lift hips away from floor, rolling onto upper back. Press arms back into floor and lengthen tail bone towards backs of knees. Hold 5-15 breaths and release. Therapeutics: Opens chest, activates thyroid, tractions spine  Corpse Pose
Savasana Lie on back with legs straight and feet relaxed to sides. Move arms away from sides slightly and turn palms to face ceiling. You may use support under the knees for low back pain; and a folded blanket under the head if needed. Rest 5-15 minutes. Therapeutics: Allows for integration of mind and body after asana practice, promotes restful awareness
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9/9/2015 Udana VayuUdana Vayu is the uppermost current of energy in the body that nourishes the throat and head. It maintains the health of our sensory organs and encourages communication and clear thinking. This practice focuses on quiet and active practices to encourage the circular flow of udana vayu.  Linga Mudra Potency Clasp hands with right thumb on top; hold left thumb with right thumb and index finger. Hold in front of abdomen. Benefits: Stimulates immunity How it Works: The feminine left thumb (fire) is circled by the masculine right thumb (fire) and index finger (air) enhancing heat in the body to help it fight off infection. Practice Tips: Use when you have a cold or are constipated.  Vowel Spiral
SOMATICS FOR THE NECK & SHOULDERS These warm-ups can be done sitting in a chair or sitting cross-legged on the floor. Use as a stand-alone practice to keep the neck and shoulders feeling loose or before the more difficult postures. Somatic movements should be practiced very slowly using only the muscles absolutely necessary for the movement paying particular attention to any compensatory muscle movements. Repeat each movement five times with the breath; inhale as you are contracting the muscle, exhale as you are relaxing the muscle.  Somatic Head Movements - No Begin sitting in a chair or in a cross-legged position on the floor. Inhale as you turn head to the right, exhale head to center. Inhale head to left, exhale head to center. Repeat 5 times to each side  Somatic Head Movements - Yes Inhale as you lift chin up keeping entire neck long. Exhale and lift back of skull up as you tuck chin in towards throat. Keep careful control of the head during the movements. Repeat 5 times  Somatic Head Movements – Tilt Side to Side Inhale as you lift right ear towards ceiling. Exhale and return head to center. Repeat 5 times with the breath  Somatic Shoulder Elevation & Depression Inhale and shrug the shoulders towards the ears. Exhale relax shoulders down the back. Repeat each movement 5 times  Somatic Shoulder Retraction & Protraction Inhale and draw shoulder blades toward the spine. Exhale draw the shoulder blades away from the spine. Repeat each movement 5 times  Somatic Shoulder Circles Inhale as you draw shoulders up then back. Exhale as you draw shoulders down then forward. Repeat 5 times with the breath. Inhale as you pull shoulders back then up. Exhale as you move shoulders forward then down. Repeat 5 times with the breath  Somatic Opposite Shoulder Circles Circle one shoulder forward and one shoulder back. Right shoulder forward and left shoulder back. Right shoulder up and left shoulder down. Right shoulder back and left shoulder forward. Right shoulder down and left shoulder up. Repeat 5 times to each direction  Somatic Shoulder Shimmy Place hands on thighs and inhale turn the shoulders to the right sliding the right hand back to the hip, turn the head over the left shoulder. Exhale back to the center. Inhale turn the shoulders to the left sliding the left hand back to the hip, turn the head over the right shoulder. Exhale back to the center. Repeat 5-10 times each direction  Somatic Scapula Release Turn head to the left. Inhale and raise right shoulder blade up as you tlit head back to the right to meet it. Exhale and press shoulder blade down as you drop the chin towards the left shoulder.  Somatic Accordion Sidebend Place the right hand on the floor beside you. Inhale and tilt the body to the right keeping the head and shoulders in alignment. Exhale and return to center Repeat 5 times with the breath on each side  Somatic Heart Opener Bring left hand behind head. Inhale and turn upper torso to left, keeping elbow and head in alignment. Exhale return to face the front Repeat 5 times with the breath  Somatic Seated Cat/Cow Place hands on knees. Cat: Exhale, round back and press tail bone forward, pressing navel towards spine. Repeat 10 times. Cow: Inhale, press tail bone back towards chair and lift chest drawing shoulders back. Eye Movements Keep head completely still and move the eyes only in the following directions slowly with the breath. : Finish each exercise by blinking eyes rapidly and closing them for a few seconds. - Look up and down, 5 times slowly. - Look left and right, 5 times slowly. - Look diagonally upper right to lower left, 5 times slowly. - Look diagonally upper left to lower right, 5 times slowly. - Move eyes in a circle first clockwise 3 times slowly, then anti-clockwise.  Reclining Supported Shoulderstand Supta Salamba Sarvangasana Place a block on the first height against the wall and a bolster lengthwise in front of the block. Sit on the bolster facing the wall and lie back so that the upper shoulders and back of head reach the floor. Press feet into wall resting heels on the block. If low back is stressed, bend knees and place feet on floor. Hold up to 5 minutes then release by rolling to side. Therapeutics: Good for upper back stiffness and opening the Psoas and quadriceps if legs are straight  Alternate Nostril Breath
Nadi Shodhana Inhale through right nostril, exhale through left nostril, inhale through left nostril, exhale through right nostril, repeat for 10 rounds at a time, monitoring the effects. Psychic Method: Breathe in and out through alternate nostrils using your imagination. This method has a subtler affect but is easier to do lying down. Benefits: Balances the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), increases communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. 8/4/2015 Samana VayuSamana vayu is the current of prana in the body that nourishes the upper digestive organs. The movement of this current expands upon inhalation and releases back towards the center upon exhalation. In this way, it massages the organs along with the diaphragmatic movement of each breath. This practice focuses on gentle lateral bends and twists to encourage the expansion of samana vayu.  Matangi Mudra Goddess of Transformation Interlace the fingers together and extend the middle fingers upwards, hold in front of the chest. Benefits: Activates solar plexus and digestion How it Works: The right and left hands are joined with the middle fingers (ether) extended which enhances Samana Vayu and the expanding inhalation from the solar plexus outward. It also encourages rising energy towards transformative mental and creative pursuits. Practice Tips: Use when feeling low energy or low enthusiasm Contraindications: High blood pressure  Supported Lateral Bend Salamba Chakdrasana Lie on the side with a bolster or rolled blanket under side ribs and a second bolster to support the head Extend bottom arm between the two bolsters. Begin with both knees bent then try extending top leg in line with the rest of the spine. Raise the top arm overhead and support with the head bolster. Breathe into the rib cage that faces the ceiling. Rest 3-5 minutes per side. Therapeutics: Opens both sides of thoracic region increasing breath capacity  Easy Seated Twist Parivrta Sukhasana Begin sitting cross legged and inhale to draw the arms overhead. Exhale and first twist to the right bringing the left hand to the right knee, the right hand on the floor behind you. Inhale return to the center with the arms overhead. Exhale and twist to the left (shown) bringing the right hand to the left knee, the left hand on the floor behind you. Repeat with the breath 5-10 times. Therapeutics: Gently opens the ribs, massages the organs and muscles along the spine.  Bharadvaja's Pose Bharadvajasana Draw feet to left side of pelvis, knees stay in front of torso. Try to press left hip towards floor as you raise left arm overhead. Exhale and twist belly, ribs, chest and head to right. Release left arm to outside of right thigh, right arm can support behind the back. Hold for up to 2 minutes, then release and change sides. Therapeutics: Opens hips, stretches muscles along spine & neck  Revolved Table Parvrita Sandharasana Begin on all fours. Variation I: Inhale lift right arm out to side. Exhale press right arm under left armpit lowering right shoulder to floor. Continue to press left hand into floor for balance. Variation II: You can also choose to turn the left toes under and lift the left knee up pressing the ball of foot back into the floor. Be careful not to put too much pressure on your head. Therapeutics: Opens upper back, shoulders and rib cage.  Downward Facing Dog Adho Mukha Svanasana Begin on all fours with hands slightly forward of shoulders. Turn toes under and lift knees off floor. Keep shoulders wide and palms flat, press thighs and sit bones back, scooping belly in. Hold 1-3 minutes, release into Child's Pose. Therapeutics: Strengthens arms and shoulders, stretches back of torso and legs  Half Lord of the Fishes Pose Ardha Matsyendrasana Sit with left leg cross-legged and that heel beside right hip. Step right foot down on the outside of the left knee. Inhale and wrap left arm around front of right knee. Exhale and twist into right leg, compressing the belly. Twist from belly, through ribs, chest, and then head. Hold for up to 1 minute, then release and change sides. Therapeutics: Compresses the belly to increase digestion, wrings out muscles along spine  Bricklayers Rest
Place two blocks on mat, one perpendicular to mat on lowest height, the other parallel to mat on middle height. The blocks should be 4-6 inches away from each other. Sit facing away from blocks and lie back placing shoulder blades on low block, back of head on high block. Place arms on floor with palms facing upwards. Therapeutics: Opens the heart and relaxes the trapezius muscles of the upper back |
Cheryl Fenner Brown, C-IAYT
I am an integrative Yoga Therapist with over 20 years of experience working with beginners, older adults, and cancer patients as well as teaching teachers adaptive asana, pranayama, mudra, sound, and Yoga Nidra to help special populations.
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I attend Cheryl's class regularly and feel that my practice has improved immensely over the past few years due to her expert coaching. Her teaching style is clear and compassionate and her previous experience in teaching adults is evident in her organized approach and easy to understand instructions. I also appreciate that Cheryl not only teaches us about how to correctly position ourselves, but also touches on many aspects of yoga philosophy, which in turn has deepened my personal practice and heightened my awareness of the connection between mind and body, breath and relaxation. |
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